Brake pipe holding means



May 25, 1937. c. c. FARMER I BRAKE PIPE HOLDING MEANS Filed Oct. 4, 1935 -a INVENTOR CLYDE c, FARMEH ;Z4' 22 BY Z3 ATTORNEY UNITD are BRAKE PEPE HOLDING MEANS Clyde C. Farmer, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to The Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 4, 1933, Serial No. 692,089

6 Claims. (Cl. 285-209) This invention relates to pipe holding strucwith faces to which are secured, by means of the tures, and more particularly to such a structure bolts 1, the union fitting 8, which may also be for holding the piping of a railway car fluid pres of the general type disclosed in the above mensure brake equipment. tioned application. A section 9 of the brake pipe The principal object of my invention is to prowhich extends lengthwise or longitudinally of the 5 vide a structure for rigidly holding the brake car is screwed into each of the last two mentioned pipe, said structure being adjustable, so as to fittings. avoid setting up strains in the piping. It should be understood that whereas the In a railway car, it is customary to secure the drawing shows my holding structure associated 10 fluid pressure brake pipe to the car underframe with a T adapted to be connected to the brake 10 by means of hangers which take a frictional grip pipe and to the branch pipe through the medium upon the pipe. The brake controlling valve deof union fittings of the type disclosed in the aforevice is connected to the brake pipe by means of mentioned pending application, my holding struca branch pipe. If the brake pipe shifts longiture may also be applied to a T of the usual type tudinally in its hangers, due for instance to the into which the brake pipe and the branch pipe 15 car being bumped against another car in making sections are directly screwed. upa train or due to the pull exerted on the brake A boss I6 is provided at the top of the T, in pipe by connected brake pipe hose when adjathe present embodiment of the invention, which cent cars are being uncoupled and separated, the extends longitudinally of the T and has an openbranch pipe is likely to be fractured or its coning therethrough aligned preferably with the 20 nections with the brake pipe or the controlling longitudinal axis of the T. valve device are likely to become broken or other- For holding the branch pipe T, I provide a wise disturbed. bracket l which may comprise a flange l2 adapt- Another object of my invention is to provide a ed to be secured to the center sill l3 or any other 0 simple and inexpensive structure for rigidly suitable member of the car, in any desired manholding the brake pipe at the branch pipe T ner, such as by rivets I 4. Extending outwardly against longitudinal movement, and having from the flange I2 is an arm l5, at the outer end means for adjusting the positioning of the holdof which is an opening it elongated in a direcing means relatively to the brake pipe and the tion transversely of the car, and so disposed that branch pipe T, so that proper alignment between it is adapted to register with the aforementioned 30 the holding means and the branch pipe T may be opening in the lug l0. As shown in the drawing, obtained before the parts are rigidly connected this bracket may be made from a piece of sheet together, and thus undue strains on the piping metal which may be bent at one end to form and pipe joints are avoided. the flange l 2 and which may be looped upon itself In the accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 is a top at the other end so as to form the elongated 35 plan view of a branch pipe T and my improved opening it. The extremity of the portion which structure for holding the same, said holding is bent over upon itself to form the opening l6 structure being shown secured to the center sill may be secured to the arm l5 by means of the of a railway car; Fig. 2 is an end elevational View rivets l l, or by any other desired means.

of the branch pipe T and the holding structure, The bracket II is so located with respect to the 40 the center sill and a portion of the holding branch pipe T that it will preferably be spaced bracket being shown in section; and Fig. 3 is a a slight distance away from one face of the lug sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. I0.

Referring to the drawing, the brake pipe may Clamping plates I8 and 19 are provided, each comprise a branch pipe T l, which is preferably of which is adapted to engage one side of the 45 provided with a flange 2 adapted to be secured looped end of the arm !5 of the bracket 1 l and by means of bolts 3 toa counterpart flange 4 of has an opening therethrough adapted to register a union fitting 5, which union fitting may be of with the opening IS in said bracket. Said clampthe general type disclosed in the pending applicaing plates are provided with flanges 29 which are 5 tion of Ellis E. Hewitt, Serial No. 575,985, filed adapted to engage the upper and lower faces, November 19, 1931, now matured into Patent No. respectively, of the looped end of said arm so as 1,956,683, May 1, 1934, into which fitting is to prevent said clamping plates from rotating. screwed a section 6 of the branch pipe. The Assuming that the brake pipe has been made branch pipe T is also preferably provided, at up and clamped to the car underframe in the opposite ends of the brake pipe conduit opening, usual manner and that the brake pipe branch 55 Fries pipe has been installed, a bolt 2| is passed through the opening in the lug I and through the required number of shims 23, or washers, to fill the space between the adjacent faces of the lug and the clamping plate It. The bolt 2| is then passed through the opening in the clamping plate i8, the elongated opening It in the bracket H and the opening in the clamping plate l9, the threaded end of the bolt extending beyond the plate H), on which end a nut 22 is turned to clamp the plates I8 and I9 and the lug It! rigidly to the bracket A look nut 24 maybe screwed onto the bolt 2| to prevent the nut 22 from working loose. It will be noted that the flanges 2|] of the clamping plates i8 and I9, through their engagement with the upper and lower surfaces of the looped end of the bracket maintain said clamps in a position for effective clamping.

Assuming that the elongated opening it in the bracket ll registers with the opening in the lug Ill before the bolt 2| is passed through said openings and assuming that the required number of shims 23 have been used to fill up the space between adjacent faces of the lug i0 and the clamping plate I8, it is obvious that the nut 22 may be drawn up tight on the bolt 2| Without setting up any strains in the brake pipe or in the branch pipe.

Obviously, if the installation conditions are such that the adjacent faces of the lug l0 and the clamping plate it just engage before the bolt 2i is applied, the shims 23 will not be required, and if the elongated opening 16 does not register with the opening in the lug I0 before the bolt 2| is applied, the arm i of the bracket i! may be bent either upwardly or downwardly, as required, to effect registration of these openings.

If, for any reason, it should be desired to disconnect and remove the branch pipe from a T where a union fitting, such as is disclosed in the aforementioned pending application, is used to connect same, the nuts 22 and 24 are backed off from the bolt 2| sufficiently to release the T from the clamping action hereinbefore mentioned. The bolts 3 associated with the union fitting 5 are then removed and the T may then be moved inwardly relative to the bracket H, due to the engagement .of the bolt 2| within the elongated opening IS, a sufficient distance to permit ready removal of the branch pipe.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a pipe holding structure which provides for a certain amount of variation in the loca tion of the branch pipe T in a longitudinal direction, in a transverse direction and in a vertical direction, and rigidly holds the pipe without setting up any strains in the piping. It will also be evident that the holding structure may be cheaply made and readily applied.

While one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit its scope to that embodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

i. In combination, a car brake pipe extending substantially lengthwise of a car, a pipe T in said brake pipe, a. branch pipe leading from said pipe T, the pipe T having a lug thereon, a bracket for supporting said brake and branch pipes, said bracket comprising a member secured to a portion of the car structure and extending therefrom, the bracket having a slot therein, means associated with said lug and adapted to extend into the slot in the bracket, said slot permitting movement of the lug relative to the bracket whereby the T, the brake pipe and the branch pipe may be adjustably positioned relative to the bracket, and means for clamping the lug and the bracket rigidly together, the bracket being substantially rigid in a plane extending lengthwise of the car whereby the brake and branch pipes are held against movement lengthwise of the car.

2. In combination, a car brake pipe extending substantially longitudinally of a car, a pipe T in said brake pipe, a branch pipe leading from said pipe T, and means for supporting said brake and branch pipes, said means comprising a bracket secured to a portion of the car structure and extending therefrom, the bracket having a slot therein, the pipe T having a lug thereon, the lug having a hole therein adapted to register with the slot in the bracket, and a bolt extending through the hole in said lug and through the slot in the bracket, the slot permitting movement of the bolt relative to the bracket whereby the T, the brake pipe and the branch pipe may be adjustably positioned relative to the bracket, the bolt being adapted to clamp the lug and the bracket rigidly together, the bracket being substantially rigid in a horizontal plane whereby the brake and branch pipes are held against movement longitudinally of the car.

3. In combination, a car brake pipe extending substantially lengthwise of a car, a pipe T in said brake pipe, a branch pipe leading from said pipe T, the pipe T having a lug thereon, a bracket for supporting said brake and branch pipes, said bracket comprising a member secured to a portion of the car structure and extending therefrom, the bracket having a slot therein, means associated with said lug and adapted to extend into the slot in the bracket, said slot permitting movement of the lug relative to the bracket whereby the T, the brake pipe and the branch pipe may be adjustably positioned relative to the bracket, spacing means interposed between the lug and the bracket to fill the space between said lug and the bracket, and means for clamping the lug, the spacing means and the bracket rigidly together, the bracket being substantially rigid in a plane extending lengthwise of the car whereby the brake and branch pipes are held against movement lengthwise of the car.

4. In combination, a car brake pipe extending substantially lengthwise of a car, a pipe T in said brake pipe, a branch pipe leading from said T, a bracket for supporting said brake and branch pipes, said bracket comprising a member formed of sheet metal and having a portion adapted to be secured to a portion of the car structure, and a portion projecting therefrom, the bracket being arranged with the face of the sheet metal positioned substantially in a plane extending lengthwise of the car, the bracket having an aperture therein at a point spaced from the portion secured to the car, the pipe T having 2. lug thereon, the lug having a hole therein adapted to register with the aperture in the bracket, and a bolt extending through the hole in the lug and the aperture in the bracket and being adapted to clamp the lug and the bracket rigidly together, the bracket being relatively wide whereby it is substantially rigid in a plane extending lengthwise of the car and whereby the brake and branch pipesare held against movement lengthwise of the car.

5. In combination, a car brake pipe extending substantially lengthwise of a car, a pipe T in said brake pipe, a branch pipe leading from said T, a bracket for supporting said brake and branch pipes, said bracket comprising a member formed of sheet metal, the bracket being arranged with the face of the sheet metal positioned substantially ina plane extending lengthwise of the car, one end of the bracket being adapted to be secured to a portion of the car structure, the other end of the bracket being bent over upon itself to provide an elongated opening, the pipe T having a lug thereon, the lug having a hole therein adapted to register with the opening in the bracket, and a bolt extending through the hole in the lug and the opening in the bracket and being adapted to clamp the lug and the bracket rigidly together, the bracket being relatively wide whereby it is substantially rigid in a plane extending lengthwise of the car and whereby the brake and branch pipes are held against movement lengthwise of the car.

6. In a device of the class described, a sheet metal member having adjacent one end a portion of substantially uniform width, said portion being bent over upon itself to provide an elongated opening, and having a securing portion adjacent the other end adapted to be secured to a supporting structure, the portion of said member intermediate the above named portions increasing in width from a point adjacent the portion of uniform Width to a point adjacent the securing portion.

CLYDE C. FARMER. 

